Pushing Down or Lifting Up - MAC091
Managing A Career
Throughout our careers, we observe others around us getting ahead by various means. Some people do so by putting other people down in order to make themselves look better whereas others do so by lifting those around them up. You may have even used these techniques yourself. The secret? Both approaches can work, but only one is sustainable for the long term. Let's take a look at the longer term impact of each. Whether intentionally or not, some people will try to advance their careers by pushing those around them down. These people will...
info_outline
What Managers Look for When They're Secretly Deciding Who To Let Go - MAC090
Managing A Career
More often that you realize, when a manager is asked to create a list of people to lay off, they are rarely given much time to think about it; they are just given a target number and a deadline. When they have to react quickly, there a few criteria that they instinctively use to determine who goes and who stays. What can you do to make sure that you aren't on that list? The first thing to realize is that there are no short term fixes. The steps to take to protect your job start TODAY. In Episode 068 (), I cover some techniques that can help you identify...
info_outline
Aligning With Fast-Track Projects - MAC089
Managing A Career
Last week, in Episode 088 (), I covered the four key project types that can fast-track your career advancement. This week, I'm going to cover some strategies for when your current project assignment is not on one of those fast-track type projects. So, to review, the four fast-track project types are strategic projects aligned to organizational goals, cross-functional projects that impact multiple teams, projects tied to revenue generation or expense reduction, and finally, projects that are in trouble. If you find yourself assigned to a project in any combination of those...
info_outline
Fast Track Projects - MAC088
Managing A Career
When it comes to career advancement, some projects have a bigger impact than others. How can you make sure that you're associated with the projects that give you the best chance at success? When you look at the types of projects that are undertaken within your organization, four key types will garner the most recognition and opportunities for advancement. This week, I'll take a look at what these project types are. Next week, I'll cover what you can do if your assignments don't fall into one of these four categories. The type of project that is going to...
info_outline
Language Matters - MAC087
Managing A Career
In Episode 085 (), I covered techniques to build confidence. This week I'd like to talk about how you can use the words you say to project that confidence to those around you. When you speak with others, in order to project confidence, you should pay attention to the negative qualifiers that you use when stating your ideas. Those negative qualifiers typically fall into five categories. They can undermine your ideas such as "I think". They can undermine your self such as "Sorry" or "I could be wrong, but…". They can undermine your audience such as finishing with...
info_outline
Leadership Portfolio - MAC086
Managing A Career
On this podcast, I cover topics that can help you advance your career. In simple terms, this means putting yourself in the best possible position to be considered for a promotion. But, sometimes the next transition is from an individual to management role. This week, I cover a technique where you can document your leadership skills as you prepare for that change. When it comes to capturing the results of your work as an individual, I've covered several different methods. In Episode 044 (), I cover how to report status to various audiences showing the value that...
info_outline
Confidence Builds Confidence - MAC085
Managing A Career
Back in Episode 083 () I talked about how Imposter Syndrome and Fear of Failure can derail your plans for career advancement. This week, I'd like to take a deeper dive at Confidence. Confidence, at it's very basic, is the believe that you will succeed in the current situation. Confidence is not arrogance; but they can be two side of the same coin. The biggest difference between Confidence and Arrogance is how others react to you and how you treat those around you. When you are confident, you state your case assertively but with respect. If you are...
info_outline
Own the Problem, Bring Solutions - MAC084
Managing A Career
The other day on LinkedIn, there was a post () by Lena Reinhard, host of the Leadership Confidential podcast (), about the saying "don't bring me problems, bring me solutions". That post got me thinking. In her post, Lena () expresses that she is not a fan of that phrase because it make the target of the statement feel like they are left to do all of the work themselves. Her suggestion is clarification through communication. Does your boss really expect you to solve the problem on your own or how you can align the way you work and ask for help with the way that they...
info_outline
Faking It - MAC083
Managing A Career
There's been a lot of talk recently about "Imposter Syndrome". The term was coined by psychologists - Dr. Pauline Clance and Dr. Suzanne Imes in the late 1970s, but seems to be mentioned in so many different places the past few years. Having imposter syndrome is a very common experience in that most people experience some form of imposter syndrome at least once in their career. Imposter Syndrome is most prevalent when you take a new role. Self-doubt starts creeping in as you compare yourself to those around you. You may feel like you need to work extra hard to...
info_outline
Quiet Firing - MAC082
Managing A Career
Recently, companies have been in cost cutting mode. The most obvious result of this cost cutting, at least when it comes to your career, is that companies have been laying off large numbers of workers across all industries. But these very same companies are starting to balk at the negative press associated with "yet another layoff". This week, I take a look at the subtle ways that companies continue to reduce their headcount in a less public manner. Return to Office Mandates During COVID, social distancing and stay at home orders lead many to resort to remote...
info_outlineI was hosting a coaching call the other day and I wanted to share the problem that we discussed in case you are experiencing a similar situation. The person I was speaking to has an issue where their manager is actively sabotaging their career development. If you want to be successful, you have to take control of your career because no one else will do it for you. And when your leader creates roadblocks that prevent you from growing the way that you wish, it becomes even more important to own your own career.
If you find yourself in a similar situation, the first thing you need to do is to try to identify why your leader might be behaving this way.
- Your manager may have some form of bias. This could be a form of prejudice such as racism or sexism that should be addressed with HR or it could just be as simple as playing favorites with others on the team.
- Your manager might feel threatened by you. There are several reasons why your manager could have these feelings from being a below average performer to being new to the role.
- Another reason that your manager may not support you is that they may just not be aware of what it actually takes for you to advance. Though, if you have been following this podcast for any length of time, I regularly encourage you to have career conversations with your leader to ensure that they are invested in your development.
By understanding the source of the problem, you can adjust your approach towards finding a resolution.
Start by having a conversation with your manager for feedback on your performance. Prior to this conversation, review Episode 012 - Receiving Effective Feedback (https://www.managingacareer.com/12). It may be a difficult conversation given the contentious relationship you may have, but it is important to maintain a level of professionalism and avoid getting defensive about anything your manager says. Ideally, you don't react at all to any faults that your manager indicates -- whether true or not. Even if they are actively preventing your progress, there will still be items that they think you should work on.
Your goal with this feedback is to spend the rest of the year generating evidence to counter each believe. For instance, if there are skills that your leader thinks you are weak in, look for training that can supplement your abilities and try to find opportunities to showcase them to your organization. Use this evidence during your performance review to prove that these are not weaknesses.
If your leader believes that you have issues related to your performance on assignments or projects, create a weekly status report. Review Episode 044 - Reporting Status (https://www.managingacareer.com/44) for some guidelines on what makes a good status report. This status report should be sent to your manager, the project manager, and your manager's leader. It is important that your status report include not just the activities that you have completed or made progress on, but also the value that those activities provide to the company -- in dollar amounts if possible. Additionally, relate the status back to your annual goals and your personal career goals.
By documenting your performance with a full circle view and sending it to a wider audience, you ensure that your manager is not the only person aware of your performance. When it comes time for your annual performance review, you can summarize the details from all of your status reports and provide details of which of your goals you have completed.
Another strategy to help you when your manager is blocking your career progress is to find an advocate. Episode 029 - Building A Network (https://www.managingacareer.com/29) can give you techniques for meeting and identifying potential advocates. Ideally, your advocate would be someone who is in your organization as either a peer or a senior leader of your manager so that their opinion has weight. When your performance is discussed among the leaders, having and advocate can ensure that someone will be speaking positively about you instead of just hearing the biased opinion of your manager.
If none of these strategies improve the situation, the more severe options is to look elsewhere. If you have an advocate, they may be able to help your find an internal position that you can transfer to. Just be sure to do your homework to ensure that the new situation isn't just perpetuating the problem. If your would-be new manager is friends with your current manager, any bias may carry forward. If there are no internal positions -- or at least none that provide the opportunities you want -- the next step would be to look outside of the company.
If you are facing a challenging situation at work and could use a career coach, reach out to me via the Contact Form at ManagingACareer.com (https://www.managingacareer.com/contact/). I'll schedule an introductory session much like the one that inspired this episode and if we are a good fit, we can schedule regular sessions to help you get your career on the right track.